Co-ordinate Event

Child and Youth Wellbeing: Longitudinal Evidence for Research and Policy

Venue: University of Essex, Colchester Campus

Date: Friday 27th September 2024 (following on from SLLS Conference)

Time: 09:00 - 13:00 (UK, BST)

This event will include research evidence from longitudinal studies and policy perspectives on child and youth well-being, and brings together key scientists and policy makers to highlight examples of how longitudinal survey data has contributed to a better understanding of children and young people lives in different countries and the ways in which social policy interventions benefit from investments in survey data infrastructure.

High quality longitudinal data on child development and wellbeing is routinely used to answer scientific and policy questions wherever such data is collected. Its importance in understanding national contexts and in developing national interventions to meet challenges related to inequalities of education, health and poverty is widely accepted.

In many countries, however, there is a critical gap in their data infrastructure on child development and wellbeing as they do not yet collect longitudinal data on children hence there are significant gaps which suggest that much policy related expenditure on child wellbeing is not supported by robust evidence. The Growing Up In Digital Europe (GUIDE) research Infrastructure is seeking to address this significant data gap at the same time as making it more possible to undertake comparative analysis through the collection of harmonised longitudinal data across Europe.

This event, organised by the GUIDE study team, will include research evidence from longitudinal studies and policy perspectives on child and youth well-being, as well as giving an overview of the Growing Up in Digital Europe study.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a free in person event but registration is necessary.

PROGRAMME

8.30 - 9:00AM: Arrival and Coffee

9:00 - 9:15AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks

Chair: Lisa Calderwood: Professor of Survey Research, Co-Director of Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study and Managing Director at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), UCL Social Research Institute

Longitudinal and Comparative Evidence for Child Wellbeing Research

9:15 - 9:45AM: Jess Deighton: Professor of Child Mental Health and Wellbeing at UCL, Director of Applied Research and Evaluation at Anna Freud and Director of the Evidence Based Practice Unit (EBPU – based across UCL and Anna Freud)

TITLE: Leveraging Longitudinal Data to Generate Insights and Impacts Around Adolescent Health and Wellbeing

9:45 - 10:15AM: Agata D’Addato: Head of Programmes at Eurochild, a membership network of organisations and individuals working WITH and FOR children throughout Europe

TITLE: Supporting Evidence-Based Policy and Practice with Children and Families

10:15 - 10:45AM: Gary Pollock: Professor of Sociology and MMU, Co-Director of GUIDE (Growing Up In Digital Europe) Europe’s first comparative birth cohort study of children and young people’s wellbeing

TITLE: The GUIDE Project and Its Potential to Enhance Child Wellbeing Across Europe

10:45 - 11.00AM: Coffee Break

11:00 AM - 12.00PM: Panel Session: Longitudinal Evidence for Child Wellbeing Policy Making

Chair: Emla Fitzsimons: Professor of Economics and Director of Millennium Cohort Study, Centre for Longitudinal Studies, UCL Social Research Institute

PANEL:

Launa Anderson: Head of Social Justice Research at Llywodraeth Cymru/Welsh Government
Michael Dale: Head of Longitudinal Studies, Central Research Division, Department for Education
Sarah Newton: Principal Social Researcher, Scottish Government

12:00 - 12:30PM: Interactive session: Your priorities for research and policy on child and youth wellbeing

12:30 - 1:30PM: Networking lunch and informal discussions